After presenting the audience with the motion picture studies responsible for the production and distribution of the film, Warner Bros Pictures, the trailer j cuts to its first shot. A spinning bird eye view shot of radio in the centre of a table, placed in the middle of the frame. The shot's composition suggests the importance of the radio, as it is used as a means of communication between the protagonists and the evil entity. The radio also symbolises the interaction between these two contrasting characters. The sound in this shot is purely diegetic as the audience hears the exchange between the characters through the radio. One of the voices heard, belonging to the unknown entity, is extremely distorted and deep, almost inhuman in nature, consequently, the viewer can induce that this will be the antagonist of the film.
In a medium, over-the-shoulder shot the viewer is presented with more information about the essence of the entity whose voice they just heard; a man, presumably a pastor because of his wearing of a Geneva Gown, states "this is the voice of an eleven-year-old girl", this hints at the idea of some sort of paranormal possession of this girl. The use of children in horror is very conventional, as it is used to juxtapose innocence and evil via the application of binary opposites, which makes the audience awfully uneasy. Furthermore, the use of religious figures, such as pastors, is very common in the paranormal horror subgenre, as it is another way to represent the battle of binary opposites such as good and evil, as well as contrasting them in order to highlight their characteristics.
The trailer continues by introducing the viewer to the city in which the story will unravel through the use of a high-angle crane establishing shot. This shot also provides the audience with the time period of The Conjuring. Thanks to the old-fashioned cars and colourful decorations it can be deduced that the film's plot takes place around Christmas time in the 20th century. Additionally these decorations could be a way to make the audience unconformable, similarly to the way in which contrapuntal sounds can throw off the audience. The preview then cuts to a close-up of a newspaper, in a bold font it reads "The house of strange happenings", this provides the viewer with more context for the plot.
Then the trailer cuts to a mid shot of four children, the type of shot is used to emphasise their concerned facial expressions and body language. In terms of sound, only the non-diegetic type is heard in this section of the trailer, a voice-over is present, seemingly coming from one of the fictional characters as it uses 1st person conjugations. Following the generic conventions of horror, a piece of non-diegetic ominous music starts to play, getting gradually louder, this music builds anticipation and suspense within the trailer. In the background of the shot, there is a dark cracked wall, this could suggest the poor state of the house, as well as alluding to common tropes of horror, such as the negative connotations related to dark, flawed, even abandoned houses. This setting also creates a confined atmosphere. Moreover, by using children, the trailer emphasizes vulnerability and innocence, along with effectively foreshadowing the likely loss of this innocence. Children in this trailer are represented as an instrument for evil to take action.
Further along the trailer a long shot of the possessed girl and the investigator is shown. This shot is framed through a window, this is very common within the genre as it creates a feeling of being watched in the audience.
In the following shot sequence the same girl is being interviewed by experts. In a close-up shot, used to draw attention to the character's facial expressions, the girl says "stop calling me Janet" with the same deep distorted voice heard at the beginning of the trailer. This explores the loss and removal of a character's identity and self-control, a concept conventionally used in horror to bring emphasis to the power an evil entity holds. The lighting of this scene is all pointed to the girl, which draws attention to her. Additionally, the lights violently flicker as the shot sequence advances, this continues to show the power of the mysterious entity to control people as well as things.
The trailer's pace becomes faster as its shot becomes shorter, this creates angst in the audience as this conventionally indicates that a jumpscare will occur. A shot-reverse-shot of a medium shot of the girl and a POV shot of a cross slowly rotating in the wall before her, are shown. The POV shot is filmed from a low angle hinting at the great power this entity holds. The religious symbolism of the cross going from an upwards position to a downward position represents the battle between good and evil, as the upside-down cross is the embodiment of Satanism. This is another use of binary opposites. The shot sequence then progresses with each shot getting shorter, increasing tension and anxiety in the viewer, the ominous music and parallel sounds get louder with each cut. Then, suddenly, all sound, except the girl's heavy breathing stops momentarily, this indicates that a jumpscare is next.
Accompanied by a loud parallel sound and emerging from a shadow in the corner of the room, an inhuman creature quickly jumps towards the foreground of the frame. Again this shot is filmed from a low angle to imply the disadvantage that the girl is in. jumpscares are extremely common in horror films, they are an easy way to rapidly instill fear in the viewer. The same structure is used couple more times in the trailer to effectively jumpscare the audience.
In a long shot of a corridor, the audience is introduced to the physical form of the evil entity possessing the girl, who is standing at the end of the said hallway. This creates a claustrophobic feeling in the viewer, as the tight space between the walls gives the impression of being trapped by this creature. The entity is wearing black clothing, which connotes evilness and death. Furthermore, church music is placed as non-diegetic atmospheric sounds that persist until the end of the movie, the music is used as a contrapuntal sound to contrast evil and good, as well as alluding to the religious aspects present in the middle of the trailer. This music makes the audience uneasy and uncomfortable.
After another jumpscare using the same pattern in editing and sounds as previously discussed, the trailer comes to an end. A title shot presents the audience with the name of the movie, it is written in the same font used in other marketing products, which leads to the creation of a brand.
The trailer finalizes by inviting the viewer to follow the movie's social media platforms, which is an important element in the film's advertising campaign.
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